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Hi all! has anyone in here had experience in replacing tran.oil for an 05 es330? do i have to replace the filter too? Oh, how come it says on the dip stick that replacing tran.oil wont be necessary under normal driving condition? :confuse: pls help

Because,sadly, that would be the truth of the matter had not Toyota and Lexus began to have transaxle design problems, SERIOUS design problems/flaws, going back to the introduction of the RX300 in '98.

hi this is member JDPSPAN, i got a big problem i need help wit, i hope someonecan help me before i go spend money on possibly the wrong thing. anyway my 93 es300 started leaking pwrsteering fluid bad, like every other day,then i noticedthat after a while of driving the car would start to get hot.sum kinda way im thinkingthe pwrsteering high pressure hose goes to the radiator, i dont know! sum kinda way these two have to be working togther. then after all this, as im driving,the gas pedal becomes unresponsive,the engine jus revs but no movement, then i pull overan let the car sit for a minute, an start it back up, an it begins to drive normal,then after awhile acts up again. now im no expierenced mechanic,but i know enoughabout cars to know that a trans is not jus gonna go out like that! no warning,no slipping or nothin. this car has another engine in it,wit about 70,000 miles on it, the trans is the original,which total, the car has about 130,000 miles. like i said, im no expert,but these type of cars (toyota/lexus), these trans can run well up to 200,000plus. there is no way this trans is out...there has to be some one who can tell me or kinda give me a good idea of whats goin on. becuz im about to go spend almost 1500 on a trans job i mite not need, as far as the pwrsteering issue, that i can take care of , but this trans problem is killing me, an i got to get this car fixed fast....help,help,help!!!

Check engine light came on in my 97 ES300 2 months ago. The dealer read the codes as P0441 and P0450, evap purge flow and evap pressure sensor error. They cleaned sensors and re-set check light. Recently the light came on and the same codes were showing up. Dealer told me that they would change evap pressure sensor and charcoal canister, but they only changed the charcoal canister. Is this the normal procedure? The check engine light has come on again for the same codes and I am taking the car back to the dealer. Can anyone predict what the dealer will say? Should they have changed the evap pressure sensor like they said they were in the first place? Could the charcoal canister be bad again? or is it likely the evap sensor?

I have a 97 ES with 150000 miles and I just had the transmission re-built for 1800. The check engine light was indicating shift solenoid failure. Same sporadic symptoms as yours, hit gas-engine revs-car go nowhere and then gear engaged. I also had a pump seal leak and all my gaskets and rings were rock hard (so re-build shop said). Car runs like a champ now, but the 1800 hurt for sure. I tried Lucas, but to no avail. Yours may be a simple fix, but I doubt it.

HEY, thanks. i understand what u were sayin. i just thought the trans would give alot more notice before it went out. an no check engine light ever came on either,an hey, should i change the high pressure hoes that connect to the pwrsteering pumpfrom the engine an to the radiator, when i do change the pump? an can i jus change the shift solenoid,wit out redoin the whole trans? an does the pwrsteering pump interact someway wit the coolant or radiator on the car, it seems like it does! an thanks for your help to, i appreciate it,alot

Haven't read new or recent complaints about transmission flare from 2008 ES 350 owners. Does it means the problem is now fixed? For owners that recently bought ES 350 (built date after September 2007), do some of you (hopefully none) have experienced the transmission flares?

I'm thinking of buying a 2008 ES 350 and have read the transmission flare discussions on different websites. I wouldn't want to venture a guess as to what the chance is of getting a new ES 350 with a flare problem: 0.1%, 1%, 10%, 50%? If the ES 350 has a flare problem, what is the chance of it being a severe problem vs. a minor nuisance: 0.01%, 1%, 10%, 90%? I've read about other problems afflicting the ES 350 such as engine knocks, interior rattling noises, and wind noise. I'm sure the ES 350 has some minor problems too but those are the major ones I can recall. The easy answer for the potential buyer is to cross off Lexus from the list. Why take the chance?

The ES 350 was easily my #1 choice in terms of features and value. I was attracted to the Lexus brand because my impression was that Toyota and Honda generally make the highest-quality under-$40K cars in the world. What would make more sense than buying from Toyota's "luxury" division? Car magazine journalists regularly write about "legendary Lexus quality." That leads to a contradiction: Why does Toyota have such a stellar quality reputation even though it has had ongoing FWD transaxle problems since 1999? Why can't Toyota figure this out? Shouldn't Toyota thoroughly test pre-production models instead of making its customers responsible for quality assurance? Replaced transmissions, buybacks, amazing.

It's hard to figure out the precise truth and a manufacturer is probably going to avoid transparency in this kind of situation, so I think I should move on to other makes and models. Any suggestions for FWD alternatives to the 2008 ES 350?

Took my car into a mechanic to find out why when the car is warmed up. I mean getting on the freeway for a 30 mile drive then getting off and the car will not shift into overdrive. Sometimes when I come to a stoplite and go it will still be into high gear. I will start off very slow then come up to speed again. The first time it was blamed on engine performance. So I had the sparkplugs replaced. I had 108k miles so I knew I was due. Same problem. Money spent that didn't fix the :lemon: problem. Was recommended at the time that an error code for the NOX sensor to be replaced. Didn't do it. Took the car back and had the NOX sensor replaced. Cost money due to the labor involved. But guess what? It fixed the problem. The NOX sensor will tell the onboard computer when to shift up and down. The Lexus has a very computer controlled car. So now I hope to get another 100k on the car. Hope this info helps everyone. Thought the transmission was slipping but the fluid looked good. No burnt smell(sulfur, stinging or tingling when smelling), no gritty feeling when I rubbed theoil between my fingers, color pink and not orange. I knew that the transmission wasn't running hot or had malfunctions. That's called "Old School." Hey Lexus! It's a car not a fighter jet!!!

1 17176-6230 GASKET, AIR SURGE TA $17.761 17177-20020 GASKET, INTAKE MANIF $36.371 17178-20020 GASKET, INTAKE MANIF $34.931 00272-1LLAC-01 ANTIFREEZE GALLON W $29.922 89615-12040 SENSOR KNOCK CONTROL $353.321 16492-21050 RING, O RADIATOR $5.381 82219-07010 WIRE, SENSOR $35.42The wiring harness looked a little funky so I went for the $35.42. If it went bad later then alot of labor would be involved so I told him to go ahead. When getting off the freeway now it shifts to O drive with no problems. At 75MPH the tack now reads approx. 2700. Before, I wouldn't do that speed on the freeway with the problem I had. Getting on the freeway with my old problem would show ma at 50MPH approx.32-3300 rpm. So I would just get off and take streets home. I would have to drive the car very slowly to keep everything healthy, about 35MPH at 2500 RPM. With 108,000 miles on the car I hope to get another 108,000. I hope all this helps. What a nice running car (again!). The problem was computer feedback from the sensor. It was explained to me how the computer in the car works but after a while it got confusing...Good Luck.

I just replaced the trans. on a 97 ES 300 that I bought 3 weeks ago. It looks brand new and it rode very well. A check engine lite came on and I took it to get checked out and I was told I needed a new trans. but that everything else was fine. I paid 3800 for it. I was talking to a family member about it and I was told that I shouldn't have gotten it replaced. I am a new grad with a mortgage and didn't want a car note so I thought if its a good car than Its worth it. Was it worth it or was it a foolish decsion?

i have a 1993 lexus es300 whenever the car is cool i can drive it and it runs perfect you shift it into gear like drv or rev and you can feel the pull because its going into gear ( automatic trans) Now the issue is when the car warms up and is at the temp its supposed to be at when you put it in gear or rev or press on the gas it doesnt go no wear you cant even feel it shift anymore ...help

just purchased used 2005 es330 w/ 48000m, no warranty, record shows transmission was calibrated at 30,000- still experience hesitation in acceleration at low speeds & poor gas mileage even w/ premium gas- can anything be done to help ?

We have a 1996 ES300 with the 3.0L V6, and have experienced problems in the past, and recently with the transmission:

at about 70,000 miles it started not shifting into any gears above 2nd. We had to have a new Toyota tranny put in, and then a year later it did it again.Just today it started acting up again, but this time its running 1st all the way up to about 4000 rpms, then shifting hard into second, and then its fine throughout the rest of the gears. I drove it about 100 miles home today, and at every stop light it did that, regardless of the overdrive. I think that the plates between 1st and 2nd are sticking, but i dont know much about transmissions. This is really making me mad, and im thinking of selling the car. I love the Lexus's, but im questioning Toyota's late 90's and even early 2000's trannys. Is this problem common among 2001+ RX300's too? Or do they run a different transmission? And to any potential buyers be sure and beware of these mechanical problems, although the 3.0 liter v6 is a great engine.

We have a 1996 ES300 with the 3.0L V6, and have experienced problems in the past, and recently with the transmission:

at about 70,000 miles it started not shifting into any gears above 2nd. We had to have a new Toyota tranny put in, and then a year later it did it again. Just today it started acting up again, but this time its running 1st all the way up to about 4000 rpms, then shifting hard into second, and then its fine throughout the rest of the gears. I drove it about 100 miles home today, and at every stop light it did that, regardless of the overdrive. I think that the plates between 1st and 2nd are sticking, but i dont know much about transmissions. This is really making me mad, and im thinking of selling the car. I love the Lexus's, but im questioning Toyota's late 90's and even early 2000's trannys. Is this problem common among 2001+ RX300's too? Or do they run a different transmission? And to any potential buyers be sure and beware of these mechanical problems, although the 3.0 liter v6 is a great engine.

I love the Lexus's, but im questioning Toyota's late 90's and even early 2000's trannys. Is this problem common among 2001+ RX300's too? Or do they run a different transmission? And to any potential buyers be sure and beware of these mechanical problems, although the 3.0 liter v6 is a great engine.

Funny, I have 86000 miles on my 96 ES. The transmission is and has been fine, but the engine blew up and just required a complete rebuild. So, I'm not sure that 3.0L is so great. When the thermostat fails, they over heat and blow the heads up.

So, I guess, my conclusion is: the car is great, except for the engine and the transmission......

AM EXPERIENCING EXACT SAME PROB WITH MY ES 300 1993 LEXUS. DID YOU EVER FIND OUT WHAT CAUSES THIS. IS THE TRANSMISSION BAD OR IS IT ELECTRICAL. IF I TURN THE CAR OFF AND RESTART IT IMMEDIATELY IT WILL RUN AND SHIFT AGAIN SMOOTHLY UNTIL IT REACHES NORM TEMP ON GAUGE.

1993 LEXUS ES300-OVERHEATED-REPLACED THERMOSTAT. DID NOT REGISTER OVERHEATING BUT WAS FORCING FLUID INTO OVERFLOW & OUT. REPLACED BOTH PRESSURE CAPS. SEEMED TO RUN FINE. DROVE 100 MILES TO INDIANAPOLIS & HOSE BETWEEN RADIATOR & SECOND CAP SPLIT-REPLACED ALSO REPLACED SECOND PRESSURE CAP AGAIN. ON THE WAY HOME NEXT DAY, RPMS DROPPED WHILE ON HIGHWAY WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. TEMP GAUGE WAS NORMAL. TURNED, OFF CAR & RESTARTED--THEN WHEN REACHED NORMAL OPERATING TEMP--NO TRANSMISSION AGAIN. TURNED CAR OFF AND IMMEDIATELY RESTARTED, TRANSMISSION WORKED AGAIN, SMOOTHLY TIL REACHING OPERATING TEMP AGAIN. WHEN A TRANSMISSION GOES OUT, ISN'T IT JUST OUT? HELP?

Sounds as if you engine is "struggling" to run in idle mode. That might result in low engine vacuum for brake power BOOST.

Have someone check the idle air bypass system and if that's okay then suspect a burned intake valve.

With a '99 I would vote for a clogged idle air bypass port/channel. Once it's cleaned out disconnect the battery for 10 minutes or so to force the engine ECU to more quickly learn/adjust to the new free flowing idle air bypass.

I just read the complaint about an ES and the "Rumble Strip" sensation at certain speeds. This is NOT! normal. If other makes do the same thing, then they also have faulty transmissions. I noticed that problem on my 2008 ES350 almost immediately after purchasing it. It happened very randomly, which can be a nightmare to convey to a technician. Fortunately, my dealership {HIghland Park Lexus) never even questioned me about it. They were aware of problems with this transmission and immediately recommended a new one. 20,000 miles later the trans is working fine and I have never had another rumbling incident. It seems like other Lexus dealerships need to take a lesson from Highland Park in customer satisfaction. The main reason why I would still consider buying a 5th Lexus is the way they handled that situation. Remember, if you suspect something is not the way it should be, chances are that something is wrong. Don't let some confusing high tech explanation cloud the issue. It's not rocket science.

Lexus publishes TSIB=technical service information bulletins.The problem with your car was a torque converter issue which happens at certain rpms.If you had gone to any Lexus dealer they would have had the info to have helped you.